Now with a new introduction by the author, Mornings on Horseback is reprinted as a Simon & Schuster Classic Edition. Hailed as a masterpiece by Newsday, it also won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Biography. He is succeeded by their five children - and an unforgettable legacy.Winner of the 1982 National Book Award for Biography, Mornings on Horseback is the brilliant biography of the young Theodore Roosevelt. His passing comes just two months after the death of his wife Rosalee. His most recent book The Pioneers was published in 2019, shedding new light on the settling of the Northwest Territory.Īccording to his publisher Simon & Schuster, David McCullough died Sunday, August 7 th in Hingham, Massachusetts.

He lent his voice to over fifteen historical films, including Ken Burns’ The Civil War.

In addition to his research and writing, McCullough was a sought-after lecturer, as well as a film narrator. In 2006, McCullough was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award. McCullough also received two National Book Awards, the National Book Foundation’s Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, and more than 50 honorary degrees from universities around the country, including his alma mater.

He was twice awarded the Pulitzer Prize: first in 1993 for Truman, and again in 2002 for John Adams. Over the course of his career, McCullough was the recipient of numerous accolades and awards. In a review for McCullough's biography of Theodore Roosevelt, the New York Times wrote: “We have no better social historian.” With his in-depth, deeply human histories, McCullough quickly cemented himself as a brilliant new voice in American history. Among his subjects were great American projects, such as the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Panama Canal, and the lives of historical figures. His part-time research into this natural disaster eventually grew into McCullough’s first - and much lauded - published book.įollowing the success of The Johnstown Flood, McCullough dedicated himself to writing full-time, publishing twelve more histories over the course of his life. But the world, it seemed, had other plans.Īfter a series of jobs in journalism, McCullough stumbled upon an intriguing (and little researched) historical event: the catastrophic Johnstown Flood. He graduated in 1955 with a bachelor’s degree in English and the intention of becoming a fiction writer or a playwright. McCullough eventually settled upon English, which he studied at Yale University alongside novelist and playwright Thornton Wilder. Known for his histories and biographies, McCullough shaped the popular understanding of the American past, and his impact on US history will not soon be forgotten.īorn Jin Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, David McCullough had many interests as a child, from learning history to playing sports to drawing cartoons. Author and historian David McCullough passed away August 7 th at the age of 89.

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